The government is planning a major programme to transform cancer surgery to give patients the benefit of ‘keyhole operations, Professor Mike Richards, National Cancer Director, said yesterday. (Thursday)
At present only an estimated five per cent of cancer patients undergo keyhole surgery, but Professor Richards said: “Laparoscopic (key-hole) surgery will be the norm within a few years”.
Key-hole surgery, which involves very small incisions, has been shown to reduce the amount of time patients spend in hospital and to enable them to resume normal life quicker – within weeks rather than months.
Professor Richards was talking in Glasgow to the annual meeting of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, a multi-disciplinary group representing healthcare professionals who treat colorectal disease.
Calling for a pro-active approach in surgical training, the so-called Cancer Czar said: “Without this it could take 20 years or more to bring the benefits to our patients. Laparoscopic surgery is intensive in training terms and it represents a big learning curve for surgeons. But I want it done in a few years - I don’t want it to take a generation.”
Professor John Northover, the Association’s newly elected President, said: “We’re very keen to fast-track laparoscopic training and our experts will do everything they can to help.”
Asked how laparoscopic surgery in the UK compared with other countries, Professor Northover said: “The take-up has been behind that of Europe and the US, partly because of the constraints that NICE put on it, insisting that the only use of laparoscopic surgery in cancer should be in patients who were in the big trial.
“In this country we expect evidence to come ahead of application of technological development. This is good news, but nevertheless we are now behind and trying to catch up.”
Not all cancer patients will be eligible for key-hole surgery. Professor Northover explained: “Laparoscopic colorectal surgery is much more complex than laparoscopic upper abdominal surgery. Some of the biggest challenges in cancer surgery are colorectal and the more advanced tumours will not be treated laparoscopically. But we should be able to do the great majority of even the most difficult deep pelvic cancers this way.”
Press Contact: Evelyn Vittery, Bloomsbury Communications 020 7833 3759 or evelyn@bloomsburycommunications.com
Added on: 11th September 2007
This page was last updated on 11-09-2007